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King of the Hill

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Gatero (talk | contribs) at 07:23, 7 September 2010 (→‎Characters: Correction: GH is Cotton's third son. Added info from episode 126.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

For other uses, see King of the Hill (disambiguation).

King of the Hill
File:KOTHlogo.jpg
Series logo
GenreComedy-Drama/Cartoon/Sitcom
Created byMike Judge
Greg Daniels
Voices ofMike Judge
Kathy Najimy
Pamela Segall Adlon
Brittany Murphy
Johnny Hardwick
Stephen Root
Toby Huss
Opening theme"Yahoos and Triangles" by
The Refreshments
ComposersRoger Neill
Greg Edmonson
John Frizzel
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons13
No. of episodes259 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time22 minutes
Production companies3 Arts Entertainment
Film Roman
Deedle-Dee Productions
Judgemental Films
20th Century Fox Television
Original release
NetworkFox (1997–2009)
Syndication (2010)
ReleaseJanurary 12, 1997–September 13, 2009
May 3, 2010–May 6, 2010

King of the Hill is an American animated series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 11, 1997 to September 13, 2009 on Fox. It centers on the Hills, a small-town Methodist family in the fictional town of Arlen, Texas, based loosely on the real life Dallas suburb, Garland, Texas. It attempts to retain a realistic approach, seeking humor in the conventional and mundane aspects of everyday life.

Judge and Daniels conceived the series after a run with Judge's Beavis and Butt-head on MTV, and the series debuted on the Fox Network on January 11, 1997, becoming a hit early on. The series's popularity led to syndication around the world, including every night on Cartoon Network's late night programming block Adult Swim. The show became one of Fox's longest-running series, and at the time of its cancellation the second longest-running American animated series. In 2007, it was named by Time magazine as one of the top 100 greatest television shows of all time.[1] The title theme was written and performed by The Refreshments. King of the Hill won two Emmy Awards and was nominated for seven.

Fox cancelled King of the Hill and aired its series finale on September 13, 2009, with four episodes from season 13 unaired. The remaining last four episodes aired in syndication on local stations from May 3 to 6, 2010 and on Adult Swim from May 17 to 20, 2010.

History

Conception

In early 1995, after the successful run of Beavis and Butt-head on MTV, Mike Judge co-created King of the Hill with former Simpsons writer Greg Daniels.[2] Judge, who was a former resident of Garland, Texas, considered the basis for the setting of the series, the fictional Arlen.[3] Mike Judge conceived the idea for the show, drew the main characters, and wrote a pilot script.

Fox teamed the cartoonist with an experienced prime-time TV writer.[3] Greg Daniels rewrote the pilot script and created several important characters that did not appear in Judge's first draft (including Luanne and Cotton), as well as some characterization ideas (e.g., making Dale Gribble a conspiracy theorist).[4]

Initial success

After its debut, the series became a large success for Fox and was named one of the best television series by various publications, including Entertainment Weekly, Time and TV Guide.[5] For the 1997–1998 season, the series became one of Fox's highest rated programs and even briefly outperformed The Simpsons in ratings.[6] During the fifth and sixth seasons, Mike Judge and Greg Daniels became less involved with the show.[4] They eventually focused on the show again, though Greg Daniels steadily became more involved with other projects.[4]

Facing cancellation

The series's tenth season was largely composed of episodes that did not air the previous season due to frequent sporting event preemptions. During the tenth season, in 2005, the show was scheduled to be cancelled; however, it managed to attract high ratings and was renewed.[3] Fox renewed the series for seasons eleven and twelve, making it the third longest-running American animated television series after The Simpsons and South Park.[7]

The thirteenth season episode "Lucky See, Monkey Do" became the first episode of the series to be produced in widescreen high-definition when it aired on February 8, 2009.[8]

Cancellation

After declining ratings, Fox eventually decided to cancel the show, with one of their major reasons being to make room for the Family Guy spin-off The Cleveland Show.[citation needed] With King of the Hill cancelled, and the American adaptation of Sit Down, Shut Up also cancelled (though unaired episodes have been seen on late Saturday nights), American Dad! was renewed for another season.[9]

Hopes to keep the show afloat surfaced as sources indicated that ABC, on which Judge's new animated comedy The Goode Family aired, was interested in securing the rights to the show,[10] but in January, 2009, ABC president Steve McPherson said he had "no plans to pick up the animated comedy".[11]

On April 30, 2009, it was announced that Fox ordered at least two more episodes to give the show a proper finale.[12] The show's fourteenth season was supposed to air sometime in the 2009–2010 season,[13] but Fox later announced that they would not air the episodes, opting instead for syndication.[14] On August 10, 2009, however, Fox released a statement that the network would air a one-hour series finale (which consisted of two episodes run in succession, not one hour-long episode) on September 13, 2009.[15]

Four remaining episodes of the series aired in syndication the week of May 3, 2010 and again on Adult Swim during the week of May 17, 2010.

Television ratings

Season Season Premiere Season Finale TV Season Ranking Viewers
(in millions)
1st January 17, 1997 May 11, 1997 1997 #43[16] 9.2[16]
2nd October 5, 1997 May 17, 1998 1997–1998 #15[17] 16.3[17]
3rd October 4, 1998 May 16, 1999 1998–1999 #104[18] 7.9[18]
4th September 26, 1999 May 21, 2000 1999–2000 #77[19] 8.69[19]
5th October 1, 2000 May 13, 2001 2000–2001 #68[20] 9.5[20]
6th November 11, 2001 May 12, 2002 2001–2002 #90[21] 7.7[21]
7th November 3, 2002 May 12, 2003 2002–2003 #68[22] 9.5[22]
8th November 2, 2003 May 23, 2004 2003–2004 #118[23] 6.42[23]
9th November 7, 2004 May 15, 2005 2004–2005 #110[24] 4.8[24]
10th October 16, 2005 May 14, 2006 2005–2006 #111[25] 5.2[25]
11th January 8, 2007 May 20, 2007 2006–2007 #109[26] 5.5[26]
12th September 23, 2007 May 18, 2008 2007–2008 #105[27] 6.62[27]
13th September 28, 2008 September 13, 2009 2008–2009 #95[28] 5.95[28]

King of the Hill is rated TV-PG-L, although some other subratings will be used.

The show is rated  PG  for Parental Guidance in Australia and  PG  in New Zealand for sexual references.

Setting and characters

Setting

King of the Hill is set in the fictional town of Arlen, Texas.[2] In a 1995 interview prior to the show's debut, Judge described the setting as "a town like Humble."[29] In a more recent interview, Judge has cited Richardson, Texas, a Dallas suburb, as the specific inspiration for Arlen.[30] Despite the fictitious locale, the show strives to portray the region accurately, going so far as to have annual research trips to Texas for the writing staff.[2] Time magazine praised the authentic portrayal as the "most acutely observed, realistic sitcom about regional American life bar none".[1]

Arlen includes settings such as Rainey Street, where the Hills reside,[2] and Strickland Propane, Hank's employer. Also included are parodies of well-known businesses, such as Mega-Lo Mart (a parody of Wal Mart), Luly's (a parody of Luby's), and Bazooms (a parody of Hooters). Most of the children in the show attend Tom Landry Middle School (named after the former Dallas Cowboys coach). Early in the series, the school is referred to as being in the Heimlich County School District (according to markings on the school buses), though in later seasons this is changed to Arlen Independent School District. The school's mascot is a longhorn steer. The local country club is the Nine Rivers Country Club, though this club almost exclusively admits Asian-Americans.

Characters

Main article: List of characters in King of the Hill

King of the Hill depicts an average middle-class family and their lives in a typical American town. It documents the Hills' day-to-day-lives in the small Texas town of Arlen, exploring modern themes such as parent-child relationships, friendship, loyalty, and justice.[2] As an animated sitcom, however, King of the Hill's scope is generally larger than that of a regular sitcom.

Hank Hill
 The family patriarch is Hank Hill, assistant manager of Strickland Propane, and salesman of "propane and propane accessories," who is obsessed with his lawn, propane, the Texas Longhorns, and the Dallas Cowboys.[2] Embarrassed and ashamed of his narrow urethra,[31] he is uncomfortable with intimacy and sexuality but has a healthy relationship with his wife, as well as the rest of his family. Hank's trademark sigh in times of discomfort or exasperation, his scream of "Bwah!" when startled, his whispered "Ugh" when disgusted, the phrase "I tell you what!" are running gags on the series; additionally, when someone angers him, he tends to respond with, "I'm gonna kick your ass!" though, he rarely resorts to this. In contrast to his emotional distance from members of his family, he dotes unashamedly on his aging Bloodhound, Ladybird.[32] Also, Hank tends to pronounce the 'h' in words such as "what".
Peggy Hill
 Hank is married to Peggy Hill, a substitute Spanish teacher who has a poor grasp of the language [33] (referring to it phonetically as "es-puh-nole"). Peggy is also a freelance newspaper columnist, real estate agent, notary public, and Boggle champion.[3][34] She often displays her naïveté and arrogance with an inflated sense of her intelligence and appearance. She considers herself knowledgeable, clever, and very physically attractive, although she has on occasion noted her self-consciousness of her large feet (size 16). More often than not, Peggy's ego will preempt better judgment, leading to actions that, while initially "helping" her, ultimately lead her down a path of agonizing realization of what she has done.
Bobby Hill
 The two have a son, Bobby Hill, an overweight, prepubescent 13-year-old, who wants to be a famous prop comic when he is older.[35] Although he is not particularly attractive or intelligent, Bobby has an excellent sense of self-esteem; he is not ashamed of his body or his often sub-par performance in sports or other activities. Bobby lacks his father's athletic prowess and dislikes most sports, but has participated- often in a peripheral way- in wrestling, baseball, and track at Tom Landry Middle School. He has also attempted to play football and soccer. He is, however, an excellent shot with the rifle and has done well at shooting competitions. He has an offbeat sense of humor that clashes with Hank's more collected and conservative manner. Such sentiments are fueled by Bobby's liking of activities more often viewed as traditionally feminine, such as cooking, high fashion, and dolls. Hank's discomfort with Bobby's proclivities is a regular narrative element in the series, and is manifested with remarks like "That boy ain't right."[36]
Luanne Platter
 Luanne Platter (named after the Lu Ann Platter from Luby's) is Peggy's niece. Sensitive and a bit of an airhead, her conflicts most often stem from her inability to think for herself, and from her naiveté, which allows others to take advantage of her. She follows a very specific pattern in the men she dates, which are usually all the wrong kinds. She came to live with the Hills after her mother, Leanne, was sent to prison for stabbing Luanne's father (Peggy's brother) with a fork. Her full name is Luanne Leanne Platter, as heard on the episode "Edu-macating Lucky."[37] Late in the series run, she marries Elroy "Lucky" Kleinschmidt and has a daughter, Grace, with him.
Dale Gribble
 Dale Gribble is the next-door neighbor of Hank and Peggy Hill. He is an exterminator, bounty hunter, chain-smoker, gun fanatic, and paranoid believer of almost all conspiracy theories. Mike Judge and Greg Daniels named him in tribute to Dan "Gribble" Costello, a close friend of Judge. Some of his Dale-isms are "S'Go," which he says whenever he wants a person to go somewhere with him, "sh-sh-shaa" to mark a point of accomplishment (such as releasing an eagle to chase away some pigeons--"sh-shaaa!"--only to have the eagle turn on him), and "Wingo!" when excited.
Bill Dauterive
 Bill Dauterive was Hank's best friend in high school and now lives across the street from him. In his younger years, Bill was extremely fit, athletic and competent, with a full head of hair, though he is currently overweight, balding and emotionally needy. He works as a barber for the U.S. Army and pines for his ex-wife Lenore, who left him. He remains lovelorn and melancholy, and is attracted to Peggy and is also shown to have some form of foot fetish. Whenever he feels down, he lets out a pitiful squeal before launching into a harmful binge. He often uses pity as a device to garner attention from his friends and neighbors. He occasionally gets involved in crazy schemes, either with Dale and/or Boomhauer, or by himself, which often end with his getting physically injured, or in some sort of trouble. Bill is also a fluent Cajun-speaking native of Louisiana; one relative by marriage owns a successful chili-pepper plantation. He has only one surviving relative by blood, his cousin Gilbert.
Jeff Boomhauer
 Boomhauer (who is always addressed by his last name) was a high-school chum of Hank, Dale and Bill. He has a deep, all-over suntan and speaks in a barely understandable mumble, though when he sings, his voice is clear. He speaks (Canadian) French fluently and it is clear when spoken. He is sometimes shown adding the words "I'll tell you what", "Dang 'ol" and "Dad gum" in sentences. He has a brother named Patch. He is a committed bachelor, sometimes depicted as promiscuous with his various girlfriends. According to the commentary on the "Pilot" episode DVD, Boomhauer's unique speaking style was based on a voicemail left on Mike Judge's answering machine. In the series finale, "To Sirloin With Love," it is revealed that Boomhauer is a Texas Ranger. Prior to this, it was hinted that he was an electrician on worker's compensation. His driver's license is also shown in the series finale, revealing his name to be Jeff Boomhauer. His name was revealed several years prior in an Emmy consideration ad.
Cotton Hill
 Hank's father, Cotton was a deranged, politically incorrect misogynist with a hair-trigger temper. His shins were blown off in World War II by a "Japan man's machine gun" and his feet were reattached to his knees, resulting in a short height and stilted gait. Despite his disability, he eventually reached the rank of Colonel in the State Militia, and is addressed as such by his friends and Dale Gribble. In episode #126, "Returning Japanese," it is revealed that Cotton became romantically involved with a Japanese nurse during his service in World War II resulting in the birth of his first son, Junichiro. After divorcing Hank's mother, he marries a much younger, softspoken, busty blonde candy striper named Didi who gives birth to his third son "G.H.," or "Good Hank." He calls Peggy "Hank's Wife" and makes frequent references to his (perhaps dubious) wartime heroism, including his killing of "fiddy [fifty] men". Cotton spent most of his free time playing checkers and hatching absurd schemes (such as rowing to Cuba to kill Fidel Castro) with his war buddies at the VFW. However, by the middle of the series, all of his war buddies had died. Cotton himself died, not once but twice, in episode #218, "Death Picks Cotton", after suffering severe burns and an allergic reaction to shrimp during a tirade at a Japanese restaurant. In the episode "Chasing Bobby," Peggy stated that Hank's greatest fear was his father dying without telling him how much he loved him, which is exactly what happened. His dying wish of destroying Hank's new shed was carried out by Dale after Cotton's death.

The series also featured numerous celebrity guests during its run, including Alan Rickman, Dale Earnhardt, John Force, Renee Zellweger, Owen Wilson, Topher Grace, Brad Pitt, Johnny Knoxville, Lindsay Lohan, Lucy Liu, Reese Witherspoon, Jeff Goldblum, Lisa Kudrow, Laura Linney, Johnny Depp, Ben Stiller, Billy Bob Thornton, Dax Shepard, Meryl Streep, Debra Messing, Jennifer Aniston, Maura Tierney, Brendan Fraser, Kid Rock, Snoop Dogg, Chris Rock, Kathy Bates, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Bernie Mac, Kelly Clarkson, Paul Giamatti, Drew Carey, Matthew McConaughey, Green Day, No Doubt, Willie Nelson, Dennis Hopper, Chuck Mangione, Dusty Hill (playing himself as Hank's cousin) and Jason Bateman. In the later seasons, Tom Petty joined the cast as Lucky, Luanne's boyfriend/husband.

Episodes

Main article: List of King of the Hill episodes

Reception

In January 2009, IGN listed King of the Hill as the 27th best in the Top 100 Best Animated TV Shows.

Awards

See also

References

  1. ^ a b The 100 Greatest Television Shows of All Time, Time. Retrieved 2008-01-02.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "A Guide to the King of the Hill Archives, 1995–2007". Retrieved March 30, 2009. {{cite web}}: Text ".edu" ignored (help)
  3. ^ a b c d "Milestone: 'King of the Hill'". hollywoodreporter.com. May 11, 2006. Retrieved March 30, 2009.
  4. ^ a b c "A Brief History of King of the Hill". macleans.ca. October 31, 2008. Retrieved March 30, 2009.
  5. ^ "The New Classics: TV". EW.com. June 17, 2008. Retrieved September 7, 2009.
  6. ^ "TV Ratings: 1997–1998". classictvhits.com. Retrieved April 4, 2009.
  7. ^ King of the Hill kept alive by Fox, is in its prime. Long live the king, The San Francisco Chronicle, 2007-01-26. Retrieved 2008-01-02.
  8. ^ "Lucky see, Monkey do". TV.com.
  9. ^ "Reign ends for 'King of the Hill', Replaced By 'Family Guy' Spin-Off". CNN.com. Associated Press. November 1, 2008. Retrieved November 30, 2008.
  10. ^ Hibberd, James (November 3, 2008). ""King of the Hill" could reign at ABC" (Document). Reuters. {{cite document}}: Unknown parameter |accessdate= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |url= ignored (help)
  11. ^ Schneider, Michael (January 16, 2009). "ABC Aiming For a Comedy Comeback". variety.com. Retrieved January 17, 2009.
  12. ^ "King of the Hill Originals still on Tap for next Season". thefutoncritic.com. April 30, 2009. Retrieved April 30, 2009.
  13. ^ King of the Hill at FutonCritic
  14. ^ Rice meets the press
  15. ^ ""King of the Hill" Serves Up Texas-size [sic] Series Finale Sunday, September 13, on Fox". The Futon Critic. August 10, 2009. Retrieved September 7, 2009.
  16. ^ a b "Complete TV Ratings 1996–1997". Retrieved January 9, 2010.
  17. ^ a b "The Final Countdown". Entertainment Weekly Published in issue #434 May 29, 1998. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
  18. ^ a b "TV Winners & Losers: Numbers Racket A Final Tally Of The Season's Show (from Nielsen Media Research)". GeoCities. June 4, 1999. Retrieved March 17, 2008.
  19. ^ a b "Top TV Shows For 1999–2000 Season". Variety. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
  20. ^ a b "The Bitter End". Entertainment Weekly Published in issue #598 Jun 01, 2001. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
  21. ^ a b "How did your favorite show rate?". USA Today. May 28, 2002. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
  22. ^ a b "Rank And File". Entertainment Weekly Published in issue #713 Jun 06, 2003.
  23. ^ a b "I. T. R. S. Ranking Report: 01 Thru 210". ABC Medianet. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved May 25, 2007.
  24. ^ a b "Primetime series". The Hollywood Reporter. Nielsen Business Media. May 27, 2005. Retrieved September 12, 2009.
  25. ^ a b "Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Nielsen Business Media. May 26, 2006. Retrieved July 3, 2009.
  26. ^ a b "2006–07 primetime wrap". The Hollywood Reporter. Nielsen Business Media. May 25, 2007. Retrieved July 3, 2009.
  27. ^ a b "Season Program Rankings from 09/24/07 through 05/25/08". ABC Medianet. May 28, 2008. Retrieved July 3, 2009.
  28. ^ a b "Season Program Rankings from 09/22/08 through 05/17/09". ABC Medianet. May 19, 2009. Retrieved July 3, 2009.
  29. ^ Bruce Westbrook. "Remote control: Back home in Texas, Mike Judge keeps 'Beavis' clicking," Houston Chronicle, October 15, 1995, page 8.
  30. ^ Shattuck, Kathryn (April 29, 2009). "It was good to be 'King,' but what now?". The New York Times. p. AR22.
  31. ^ http://www.hankhillquotes.com/bios/Hank-Hill/
  32. ^ King of the Hill: Hank Hill
  33. ^ Bai, Matt (June 26, 2005). "'King of the Hill' Democrats?". nytimes.com. Retrieved April 10, 2009.
  34. ^ "Will you marry me/save this series?". macleans.ca. May 22, 2006. Retrieved April 10, 2009.
  35. ^ King of the Hill: Bobby Hill
  36. ^ King of the Hill
  37. ^ King of the Hill: Luanne Platter
  38. ^ "List of King of the Hill Awards". Retrieved 2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  39. ^ "Thirteenth Annual Media Awards". Environmental Media Association. 2003. Retrieved December 6, 2007.

External links

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